Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley will be out of the rest of the season as he awaits surgery to address his irregular heart beat.

Peverley is done for the year (via CBSBoston.com)

Peverley and the Stars held a news conference yesterday to get everyone up to speed on his terrifying incident Monday night, and it was there that the team and Peverley announced that he will miss the rest of the season.

Peverley suffered a "cardiac event" in the first period of Monday night's game between the Blue Jackets and the Stars, collapsing on the bench and prompting team doctors and player's to halt the game among the chaos and go to Peverley's rescue.

According to the doctors that treated Peverley after he collapsed, Peverley's heart was beating too fast and then stopped, but only for a few seconds. The medical personnel did not take long in defibrillating Peverley back to consciousness.

Recovery time for the surgery is at least a few months, not to mention the rehabilitation of getting back into playing-shape.

Peverley thanked the doctors, his teammates, his family and the fans for their help and support in the face of such a difficult event.

Although it's unclear how long Peverley has been dealing with his heart condition, Robert J. Dimeff, primary care sports medicine director at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas said it was possible that he could have been playing with it as recently as last years Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and the Blackhawks.

Dimeff also said the questions of whether or not Peverley can ever play hockey again wasn't one that he wanted to answer at the present time.

This whole thing has been a real jolt for the entire community of the NHL. From all the fans to the organizations and the media members, nobody wants to see something like this happen to a player.

And it wasn't a normal injury; it's an internal issue that Peverley has been monitoring for some time, and it's unpredictable nature of springing up without warning is quite scary. It's not a hit that can be avoided or a broken bone that can heal. If Peverley's heart can no longer take the strain anymore of being a professional athlete, then his career is undoubtedly over.

In the end, it's about being safe and staying alive. And for Peverley, that's all that matters right now.